30-Minute Music Hour

(city traffic noise) It's 30 Minute Music Hour. I'm Andy Moore. Tonight from Chicago, Illinois, Joe Pug, with Andrew Harrison on pedal steel and electric guitar.

"Speak Plainly, Diana"

OH, SPEAK PLAINLY, DIANA THERE'S NOTHING TO UNDERSTAND YES, THERE'S MYSTERIES IN THE BASEMENT BUT THERE'S COMIC BOOKS UPSTAIRS AND THERE'S A WRECKING BALL IN THE FRONT YARD BUT THERE'S BLUEPRINTS ON THE COUCH SPEAK PLAIN TO ME, DIANA WE'LL BUILD OURSELVES A HOUSE YEAH I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND THERE'S NO SAFETY, DIANA THERE'S NOBODY TO BLAME EVEN DAYLIGHT WILL SURPRISE YOU EVEN DREAMS WILL END THE SAME SO WHEN THERE'S TOO MUCH TO REMEMBER AND YOU REMEMBER ME SPEAK PLAIN TO ME, DIANA WE'LL SWIM INTO THE SEA I SAID I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND OH, COME LATELY DIANA AND QUIT WHAT'S GOT YOU DOWN STEAL FROM THE TALLEST CABINET AND MAKE YOUR FAVORITE SOUND WHEN THERE'S TOO MUCH TO GET RID OF AND YOU GET RID OF ME SPEAK PLAINLY TO ME, DIANA THERE'S NOTHING YOU MUST BE I SAID I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND I DON'T MIND RIDING AROUND OH I DON'T MIND This is a song off my first record. It's called "Hymn #35." I AM THE DAY, I AM THE DAWN I AM THE DARKNESS COMING ON I AM ONCE, I AM TWICE I AM THE WHOLE I'M JUST A SLICE SOME CALL ME GONE SOME CALL ME HERE NONE ARE WRONG NONE ARE NEAR I AM RIGHT NOW I AM BACK THEN I WILL RETURN DON'T ASK ME WHEN I AM THE DISAPPOINTED KISS I AM THE UNEXPECTED HARVEST I AM THE OLD KENTUCKY HOME I AM THE SON WHO RUNS THE FARTHEST I HAVE DONE WRONG I WILL DO WRONG THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH DOING WRONG I AM FAITH, I AM BELIEF EXCEPT FOR WHEN I'M NOT I AM THE TEETH OF CHAMPIONS I AM RUST AND WATER ROT AND I AM SLEEP I AM BREATHING I'M THE MISSING OF THE PASSING SEASONS I AM THE BRUSH I AM THE STROKES I'M SICKNESS COME TO THE BEST OF FOLKS I AM RENEWED I AM JUST MADE I AM UNCHANGING I'M A PASTURE FENCED ABOUT THE EDGE I AM DAKOTA THUNDER RAGING AND BY MY SHOES AND BY MY FEET AND BY MY SOUL AND WONDER I AM THE TRACKS WE'VE LAID ABOVE I AM THE TUNNEL RUNNING UNDER

"Unsophisticated Heart"

TAKE A WALK ON SUNDAY IT AIN'T THAT HARD TAKE A WALK ON SUNDAY IT AIN'T THAT HARD AND IF MY THOUGHTS ARE HARD TO GATHER IF I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START IT AIN'T MY MIND THAT MATTERS FOR I HAVE AN UNSOPHISTICATED HEART I TRIED TO TRUST A STRANGER IT GOT HARD YOU KNOW I TRIED TO TRUST A STRANGER IT GOT HARD NOW I SEE THINGS LIKE A SOLDIER YET I'M JEALOUS OF THE DARK BUT IF MY EYES HAVE ONLY GOTTEN OLDER I STILL HAVE AN UNSOPHISTICATED HEART OH MY EYES WILL BE HARDENED MY VOICE WILL BE GUARDED MY MIND SO BEWILDERED AND BURIED IN THE GARDEN YOU MAY STILL KNOW ME BY JUST ONE PART I TRIED TO KEEP YOUR SECRET AND IT GOT HARD THERE WAS NOWHERE I COULD KEEP IT IT GOT HARD AND THERES ONE THING THAT'S FOR CERTAIN WHEN THEY COME WITH THEIR DOGS AND THEIR GUARDS I CAN'T HIDE BEHIND THE THINNEST OF CURTAINS FOR I HAVE AN UNSOPHISTICATED HEART FOR I FOR I Joe Pug. - Hey. We forgot to set you up with water before we started. That's all right. - There's some water. "Unsophisticated Heart" from "Messenger." Nate, if you could get a picture of that, that'd be great. And we are hearing Joe Pug. If you're watching live on the internet it's not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon to hear half a dozen or more songs from Joe Pug. If you're watching us during our summer season in the summertime on television, welcome to 30 Minute Music Hour and Mr. Joe Pug from Chicago. Beautiful song. - Thank you. And "Messenger" is just filled with them, and we're getting to hear several from "Messenger." But Chicago's home now, but there's an interesting trajectory that landed you in Chicago. You grew up out East and then you went to school in North Carolina, but then you made up your mind in a flash that Chicago was the place. What happened, what was that? I visited a friend in Chicago the week before I moved. Chicago's a very romantic city and it's still that way. I've lived there for four years and it's still pretty romantic to me. And I visited him and I went back to college. The next weekend, getting ready to start classes, and I just thought to myself, no way, man. I can't do this anymore. So I drove out there and I slept on that dude's couch for a while, and got my own place and now me and you are talking here. And this was about a week's decision. - Yeah. Kind of impulsive. - Yeah. Is there an impulse that drives your songwriting, a get-it-now? - The good ones, the good ones. Yeah, the good songs. You always got those songs that you force out that sound really terrible that no one ever gets to hear. But the real good ones are the ones that just sort of, like, flow out. You gotta write 'em. You feel a lot better after writing 'em. So then you know. - Yeah. You're known, almost simultaneously at the start of your career, for your great songwriting but also for a very democratic approach to spreading your product out. - Sure. And I was reading about how you gave away as many CDs as someone could do in a lifetime and you still do, don't you? - Still do, yeah. What's the point of all that? - Well, I mean, it's just, it's nothing altruistic. It's more of a business decision more than anything. We send CDs to fans who ask for them so that they can give them to their friends. I mean, it costs a lot of money to mail them, but who knows someone's musical tastes better than their friend? So it's great. Any success that I've had in the last year and a half, and I have had some, has been due to that program. Tied to sort of the democracy of your music. - Sure, yeah. Well, we've got time for several more, three or four, I think four. So, Joe Pug, singing more songs from the "Messenger" and beyond. Andrew Harrison was with you earlier and I hope he comes back and we'll hear some more from him, too, thank you. We're gonna bring Andrew Harrison back out on the stage right now, actually. ( tuning guitar )

"Nobody's Man"

BENEATH THE TREES OF THE CASBAH BENEATH THE ROOTS OF THOSE TREES ON THE CASKET FLOOR ON THE CASKET FLOOR THE BOTTOM OF ME IT FEELS SO COMPLETE AROUND MY CHILDHOOD MUSEUMS THERE STAND CHINESE GUARDS ONE OF THEM HAS A BELL ONE OF THEM HAS A BELL THAT RINGS WHEN I COME TOO CLOSE OR LEAVE TOO FAR YOU MIGHT SAY THAT IT'S RECKLESS YOU MIGHT SAY THAT IT'S WILD BUT I'D RATHER BE NOBODY'S MAN THAN SOMEBODY'S CHILD NOW THERE'S SPLINTERS IN MY FINGERS AND THERE'S PORTLAND CEMENT IN MY LUNGS I GOT A HAMMER AND A COUGH I GOT A HAMMER AND A COUGH AND ALL OF MY FRIENDS SPEAK IN FOREIGN TONGUES THERE'S AN UGLINESS GROWN UP INSIDE ME FROM WHERE IT HAS COME I DON'T KNOW I LEFT MY SWEETNESS BESIDE MY SWEETNESS BESIDE THAT GIRL I GOODBYE'D LONG AGO THEY MIGHT FIND MY BODY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE BUT I'D RATHER BE NOBODY'S MAN THAN SOMEBODY'S CHILD SUCH PLANS THEY HAVE SUCH GODS THEY HAVE DEEP IN THIS NATION OF HEAT WE'VE BEEN OUTDONE AGAIN WE'VE BEEN OUTDONE AGAIN AND ALL OF MY FRIENDS THEY WALK ON THEIR FEET AND A CONGRESS OF JACKALS WILL PUT A TAX ON MY SMILE BUT I'D RATHER BE NOBODY'S MAN THAN SOMEBODY'S CHILD I MIGHT MOVE TO LAS VEGAS LIVE THERE FOR A WHILE 'CAUSE I'D RATHER BE NOBODY'S NOBODY'S, NOBODY'S YES I'D RATHER BE NOBODY'S MAN THAN SOMEBODY'S CHILD We're gonna throw Andrew over to the pedal steel guitar now. This is a tune off my latest record "Messenger." It's called "Not So Sure." THERE WAS A TIME WHEN I HEARD YOU CALLING OUT MY NAME BUT THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE WHEN THE ROOM WENT DARK AND YOUR VOICE WAS GONE I HEARD YOU ALL THE SAME BUT THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE I KNEW I COULD REMEMBER YOUR BEDROOM AND YOUR TOUCH BUT THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE DEFINITELY, WAS THE WORD I USED FAR TOO MUCH 'CAUSE THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE I BUMMED EXPENSIVE CIGARETTES I WROTE JOHN STEINBECK'S BOOKS I UNDRESSED SOMEONE'S DAUGHTER AND THEN COMPLAINED ABOUT HER LOOKS STEALING WAS SO EASY THEN I WISH THAT IT STILL WERE NOW AS I PICK MY OWN POCKET I KNOW THAT THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE THE CHURCH WAS MY KITCHEN THE WORLD WAS MY CHURCH BUT THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE TO CHOIRS I WOULD LISTEN THROUGH BRIARS I WOULD SEARCH BUT THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE I SACRIFICED MY SISTER I PRAYED MY OWN SOUL TO KEEP I TOLD MY DYING FATHER THAT A MAN SHOULD NEVER WEEP BREATHING WAS SO EASY THEN I WISH THAT IT STILL WERE NOW AS THE BREEZE JUST MAKES ME COLDER I KNOW THAT THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE SO IF YOU SEE ME TRIPPING I'VE FORGOTTEN HOW TO WALK AND I SPEND MY DAYS WISHING AFTER HER MY STEPS ARE WITHOUT RHYTHM AND HER NAME IS DRAWN IN CHALK 'CAUSE THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE I DRANK MY WINE FOR BREAKFAST EVERY MORNING I WAS BORN IN THE BLACK ELECTRIC WINTER MY BACK WAS ALWAYS WARM SLEEPING WAS SO EASY THEN I WISH THAT IT STILL WERE IN MY SLEEPLESS BEDROOM I KNOW THAT THESE DAYS I'M NOT SO SURE Andrew Harrison working hard over here on the guitar and pedal steel. He's actually a Wisconsin native. He's from right here in Madison. ( tuning guitar )

"Bury Me Far (From My Uniform")

I WAS FALLING DEAD IN BATTLE MUST'VE BEEN TUESDAY I DON'T KNOW THE DATE I DID EVERYTHING THAT EVERYONE ASKED FOR BUT I'LL SAY WHERE I'LL BE LAID THE MANY DEAD OF MY COMRADES ALL LOOK THE SAME IN THIS PLACE WON'T YOU BURY ME FAR FROM MY UNIFORM SO GOD MIGHT REMEMBER MY FACE DO NOT BOTHER WITH CONGRESS WITH THE RICH OR WITH THE REST I FOUGHT THEIR BATTLES IN THIS WORLD BUT I'LL NOT FIGHT FOR THEM IN THE NEXT DO NOT FIND ME JUSTICE JUST FIND ME A GRAVE AND THEN BURY ME FAR FROM MY UNIFORM SO GOD MIGHT REMEMBER MY FACE MY MOTHER, MY MOTHER YOU'LL CRY FOR ME TAKE ME OUT OF YOUR DREAMS THAT I'M IN YOU MUST PROMISE NEVER TO THINK OF WHAT IS NOT AND WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN I'LL NOT RETURN TO YOUR TABLE SO DON'T SAVE ME A PLACE JUST BURY ME FAR FROM MY UNIFORM FROM THE IRON CROSS MEDAL I WOULD HAVE WORN FROM THE STATUES THAT SISTERS AND WIDOWS MOURN FROM THE NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS AND MICROFORM FROM GENEVA, THE HAGUE AND NUREMBURG FROM THE SEX OF THIS WORLD THAT I'LL NO LONGER TASTE WON'T YOU BURY ME FAR FROM MY UNIFORM SO GOD MIGHT REMEMBER MY FACE I KNOW GOD WILL REMEMBER MY FACE MERCIFUL GOD PLEASE REMEMBER MY FACE